Q&A: What is metabolic syndrome?

Q: I have been told that I am at risk for developing metabolic syndrome. What is it and what can I do to avoid it?

A: Metabolic syndrome was identified less than 20 years ago and is used as a medical term to describe a combination of elevated blood sugar, increased blood pressure and excess truncal body fat. On their own diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity can put you at risk for serious health conditions, however, a combination of all three can be particularly dangerous. Having metabolic syndrome puts you at greater risk of suffering from a stroke, heart disease and other conditions affecting blood vessels.

The conditions relating to metabolic syndrome are quite common and linked which has led to an astonishing one in six Americans becoming diagnosed with the syndrome. The syndrome can be inherited from your parents and is more common in African-Americans, Asians, Native Americans and Hispanics. The risks of developing metabolic syndrome steadily increase as you age.

Risk Factors

The major risk factors for metabolic syndrome include:

Obesity – mainly in the abdominal region characterized by a waist size larger than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women

Intolerance to glucose or insulin resistance – the body can’t use the blood sugar or insulin properly

Proinflammatory state – the body has high levels of inflammatory markers

Prothrombotic state – there are higher amounts of clotting factors in the blood stream